Air conditioner for hair driers and the like



April' 25, 1950 R. c. BEL'GAU ETAL 2,505,378

' AIR CONDITIONER `FOR HAIR'DRIERS AND THE LIKE File June 20. 1946 7 Sheets-Sheet l R. c. BELGAU ETAL 2,505,378 AIR coNDITroNER FOR HAIR DRIERs AND-'mE LIKE Filedqmeza 194e 7 sheets-shet 2 April 25., 195o III'.

In v Il' Il' I' 'i R. c. BELGAU ETAL AIR coNDITIoNER FOR HAIR DRIERS AND THE LIKE Filed Jung 2o, 194e l v April 25a 1,950l

7 Sheets-Sheet 4 E .mwf/ @y 2 2 aP @A 9W Mm pr Z H9@ v- R. c. BELGAU ETAL 4 2505,37 Am CONDITIONER FOR HAIR DRIERS AND THE LIKE Filed Jun@ 2o, 194 i Sheets-sheet s By ,4M/M5044 P. VVA/90 arf? ey@ Amis z5, 195o R. c. BELG/W Em. y 2955,37@

AIR GONDITIQNER FOR HAIR DRIERS AND THE LIKE Filedlune 20, 1946 f7 Sheets-Sheet 6 76 V e 7a g5 April 25, 1950 R. c. BELGAU ETAL 25052373 l AIR CONDITIoNER Foa HAIR DRIERS AND Tm LIKE Filed Jima 2o, 1946 7 shams-sheet 7 BY WA/MA ,Q 1444/90,

Patented Apr. 25, 1950 UNITED smrs sr orifice AIR CONBITINER FOR HAIR DRIERS' AND THE LIKE substituted for abandoned application Serial No.

375,064, January 18, 194i.

This application June 1946, Serial No. 677,928 i 6 Claims. (Cl. 18S-4.3)'

Thisv invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner adapted to be connected with a hair drier helmet and by means of which air passed through the helmet is dehydrated and heated so that air passing through the helmet will be capable of quickly absorbing a large quantity of moisture as it passes over and through hair to be dried. Y

This is accomplished by means of a dehydrating device used to control the initial moisture content of the drying air and of thereafter heating the dehydrated air to a suitable degree of temperature and of properly exposing this heated dry air to the moist hair, for a suitable period of time, sulicient to properly increase the rate of evaporation of the moisture and simultaneously increase the moisture absorption rate and carrying capacity of the air, and of providing the proper rate of dry air supply.

The-proper application of dry air for drying hair, as described in this application, has two` very outstanding features that are not possible of accomplishment without the use of dry air. While there are other desirable features, these two features are the most requisite and are: (1). The ability to dry hair in a very minimum period of time, and` (2) within a temperature range that is conducive to maximum comfort for the patron.

In the method we are herein disclosing, we are using relatively dry air so that, when this air is heated to a high degree and comes incontact with the moisture on the wet hair, a numberl of heat units (from the highly heated air) are trans-- mitted to the moisture in order to transform the moisture from the liquid to the vapor phase so that it will be removed bythe air.

In this method, the dry air; can be heated` to a very high degree (relatively speaking) because the latent heat of evaporation of the moisture will prevent the temperature of the remaining moisture (of liquid phase), on. the patrons head, from becoming uncomfortable to the patron. rlhe air, upon becoming moist, will carryioff the heat units that have been used to transform the moisture to the vapor phase. Therefore, Weare using, to the maximum degree of efliciency, the natural tendency for air toA absorbv water vapor in proportion to its lack of moisture, content; the excessive heat units'that have been addedl to the starved air, in order to increase the rate of evaporation l of the moisture andV at the, Sametime employing they heatof evaporation4 to keep the remaining moistureA at a cool or comfortable temperature. To effect;- complete dry-ing in. aV minimlun time,

thevolumefof; air `carnitine, velocity'thereof) must, f

of course, be maintained in proper relationship inorder to obtain the peak of eiciency.

The present application is a substitute for our allowed forfeited and abandoned application iiled January 18, 1941, Serial No. 375,064.

The primary obiective of this invention isv tol provide a simple, fool-proof means whereby a device of relatively low production cost can be used'v to control the moisture content of the air regardless of atmospheric conditions and to supply airthat hasV been dehumidied by the device, to af suitable drying helmet, for the purpose of einploying the advantages and obtaining the results described. y

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for removing a relatively large part of the. moisture content from air and other gases, thereby reducing the relative humidity of the air and of increasing its` moisture absorbing capacity so that when used, as fully described, in conjunction with a suitable hair drying helmet, the dry air will carry off a greater volume of water vapor than it would if the degree of humidity was near the point of saturation.

Another obiect of the invention is to provide a means whereby, after the moisture adsorbing means has absorbed its full quota of moisture, the accumulated moisture can be readily dissipated so that moisture can again be adsorbed to the full extent of the capacity of the moisture adsorbing means.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a moisture adsorbing means of extreme portability, of relatively small floor space requirement and so designed that when heat is being used to dissipate the accumulated moisture, the heat is confined within the cabinet so that the exterior of the cabinet does not become heated, and relatively small percentage of heat is dissipated into the room in which the cabinet is located.

A still furthe!1 object of the invention is to provide in an air dehumidifying device, employing chemical drying agents or desiccants, a means whereby with the, use of solenoid valves, ther now of air during the air-drying cycle is in opposite direction to that of the air being circulated through the desiccant when the moisture is `later being dissipated therefrom so that the desiccant will again adsorb its full quota of moisture.

Another object of the invention is to providean air conditioner wherein a mass of moisture. adr sorbing material is mounted Within a housing.' or casingabout a heatingY unit so that the, air by means of which hair is dried may havemoisture.

extracted therefrom by passing through the adsorbing material and then heated to provide a supply of warm dry air which passes through a hood to absorb air from hair over which the hood is placed.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for controlling directional now of air through the housing or casing, thus permitting the air to be caused to reverse its normal cw through the moisture adsorbing material to the heater and instead flow from the heater through the adsorbing material where the hot air serves to absorb and drive oif moisture from the moisture adsorbing material. The adsorbing material may thus be restored to condition for use as means for absorbing moisture, and since this is done during hours when a beauty shop is closed use of the drier during working hours will not be interfered With.

l Another object of the invention is to provide within the housing or casing means for defining a tortuous path through which the air must pass as it moves through the housing toward the moisture adsorbing material surrounding the heater. It will thus be seen that the air will be heated as it approaches the cartridge in which the moisture adsorbing material is packed and the air caused to retain all of the moisture taken up thereby until the air reaches the moisture adsorbing where the moisture is extracted from the air and the dry air then heated and delivered to the air enclosing helmet to take up moisture from the hair as it passes through the helmet and returns to` the conditioning apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character of such construction that air capable of quickly absorbing a large quantity of moisture will be delivered to and passed through the helmet and then returned to the air conditioning device where moisture is extracted from the air and the air restored to proper condition for taking up moisture before it is again delivered to the helmet.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air conditioning apparatus which is compact and will occupy a minimum amount or" space in a beauty parlor.

Still another object of the invention resides in providing a device which is simple and durable in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and one which will be very efficient in operation and application to use.

With these and numerous other objects in view, our invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein: v

Figure 1 is a view showing an air conditioner of the improved construction in elevation and a helmet in vertical section; Figure 2 is a sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken vertically through the air conditioner, the arrows indicating the normal move ment of air through the same;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 wherein the arrows indicate the movement of air dur ing driving olf of moisture from the moisture adsorbing material;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional View taken through the lower portion of the housing or cas ing through which the air passes;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 4 Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the means lfor controlling directional flow of air;

Figure '7 is a view similar to Figure 6, but upon a reduced scale, indicating by arrows the normal flow of air, this ow being the same as shown in Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a vieW similar to Figure '7 showing the flow of air reversed, the flow of air in this figure being the same as shown in Figure 3;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of Figure 6;

Figure l0 is a sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken vertically through a thermostat embodied in the invention; and

Figure ll is a wiring diagram.

The improved air conditioning apparatus which is indicated in general by the numeral l has been shown associated with a hair drying helmet 2 of the type used in beauty parlors for drying hair, but it is to be understood that the air conditionerv is not limited to this specific use. The cabinet 3 of the air conditioner is formed of sheet metal or other suitable material and at its lower end is formed with short legs or feet 3 at its corners for supporting it upright and spacing the lower end of the cabinet from the floor upon which the legs rest, so that air may enter through spaces between the legs as well as through inlets formed by stamping walls of the cabinet to provide louvres i. The top or upper Wall of the casing is formed with a centrally located opening 5 constituting an air passage and guarded by a sheet of screening 6 which is secured against the under face of the upper wall about margins of the opening. By so forming the casing or housing the air conditioner will be of relatively small dimension and may be easily moved from one location to another when so desired.

Within the casing 2 is located a chemical container indicated in general by the numeral l and enclosed in a plurality of shells 8, 9 and l0 which are spaced from each other and from walls of the casing to provide air passages Il, i2, I3 and lli within the shells and between the outer shell and walls of the casing. The outer shell l0, which is provided with a bottom IE5, is supported in the casing in spaced relation thereto by a suitable number of brackets i6 carried by walls of the casing. The shells 8 and 9 are also provided with bottoms IB and I1 and supported by a suitable number of brackets I8 and I9 which maintain them in vertical spaced relation to each other and to the bottom l5 of the outer shell il). It will also be noted that the bottom I6' of shell 8 carries an upstanding centrally located throat or neck 2Q fitting within the neck 2l of the bottom 22 of the chemical container l. The outer Wall 23 of the chemical container' is formed of perforated metal and its inner wall 2li is also formed of perforated metal. A perforated top Wall 25 is Welded to inwardly extending anges at the upper ends of the outer perforated wall 23 and the inner wall 24 also carries a wall 26 which is of solid formation and constitutes a top wall for a central chamber 2l in which a heating unit 2B is mounted. It will thus be seen that the heating unit will be surrounded by the mass of chemical within the container l and that air circulating through the conditioner must pass through the chemical either as it moves toward the heating unit as shown in Figure 2, or as it moves away from the heating unit as shown in seen that the hose extends outwardly through a side wall of the casing 3. A motor casing 89 is mounted under the fan casing about an opening 8| which establishes communication between the motor casing and the lower chamber i6 of the fan casing and this casing 80 encloses an electric motor 82 having a shaft which extends vertically through the two fan chambers and is rotatably mounted through the bearing l5. Fans 83 and 84 are fixed to the motor shaft 85 within the upper and lower fan chambers. These fans or blowers 83 and 94 may be referred to as right and left-hand blowers and when mounted back to back within their respective chambers of the fan housing, the suction or inlet sides of the blowers or fans are positioned toward opposite ends of the motor shaft; the inlet for the upper fan 83 being directed toward the passage M and the lowerfan or blower having its inlet side facing the motor casing. Therefore, when the motor is in operation air will be drawn through the inlet neck 85 of the motor casing and forced outwardly through the passage 1l and neck 'i8 and at the same time air will be drawn through the passage 74 into the upper fan chamber and forced out through the passage or neck 1|. Flexible hose pipes 8l and 38 lead from the neck B9 and I8 to the helmet and when the apparatus is in use for drying hair, air is forced through pipe or hose 8l' into the helmet and after taking up moisture from hair passes through pipe or hose 88 into the motor casing from which it is drawn by the lower fan or blower 84 and forced through the pipe or hose i9 which extends through the Wall of the casing 3. It will thus be seen that a circulation of air is established through the helmet.

Directional flow of air through the casting must be controlled. In order to do so, there have been provided valves 89, 99 and 9|. These valves are mounted upon a valve stem or rod 92 which extends through the chambers 59, 60, El and 65 and in a certain position of adjustment also extends into the chamber 68. The rod is slidably mounted through bearings 93 and 94 into an elongated solenoid spool 95 carried by the block 96 which is secured against the casting 51 in closing relation to one end of the chamber 59 and -through -which the bearing 9:3 is formed. These spools 95 carry two solencids 91 and 98 and within the spool the rod or valve stem 92 carries a core 9S adapted to be moved and adjust the rod 92 longitudinally when either of the solenoids are energized. The rod also extends into a shield |09 at the outer end of solenoid 98 and carries a cross-bar I9! constituting a bridge for closing circuits through wiring to be hereinafter described when the solenoids are energized to shift the core 99 and the rod longitudinally. When the rod is in the position shown in Figures 6 and .7, it Ybeing moved to this position by energizing of solenoid 98, the valve 9| is in an open position,

the valve 9@ is seated against the valve seat. 63 in a closed position and the valve 89 which is a double valve is seated against the valve seat 61 to shut off communication between chambers 65 and 66. It will be noted that valves 9i) and 9| are of the same construction as valve 53 so that they may yield when movedinto engagement with `the seat 82 and 53, whereas the valve 89 is rigidly fixed to the end of the rod. With the valve in the position shown in Figures 6 and 7, and also in Figure 2, air entering the casing 3 through the opening 5 flows downwardly along and about the shell I9 into the lower portion of the casing 3 'and passes -inwardly through the throat 44 of the valve casing 42 to enter the chamber 43 and flow upwardly through the throat or conduit 40 into the space Il within the shell 8 about the chemical container l. This incoming air may be referred to as atmospheric air as it is taken from the beauty parlor or other room in which the air conditioner is located` The incoming air passes through the chemical which is packed into the chemical container and moisture will be extracted from the air by the chemical. The dehydrated air ows through the perforated wall of the chemical container into the chamber 21 down which it flows and through the neck 20 into the space between the bottom of the shells 8 and 9, and then flows upwardly through space I2 within the shell 9 and out through the Opening 38 at the top of this shell into space i3 between the shells 9 and Ill. The air then iiows downwardly through the space I3 within the shell I9 to the bottom of this shell and through the neck or conduit 39 into chamber` 4l from which it flows into chamber 45 and through neck 0r conduit 58 into the chamber 59. In view of the fact that the valve 9i is open and valve 90 closed, the air which has been heated by contact with the heater 28 will now ow through the chamber 69 and through passage 14 into the upper fan housing chamber from which it is expelled by the upper fan 83 and driven through the necks 'lo and 'H into chamber 96 and out through the hose 8l to the helmet through which it moves and back through hose 88 to the motor casing. The fan 84 sucks the air out of the motor casing and drives it through the neck 18 and the hose 19 which returns the air to the atmosphere. It will thus be seen that a constant supply of air which has been dried by passage through the chemical and heated to the proper temperature by the heating element and the hot walls of the shells Will be fed to the helmet and after passing through the helmet to absorb moisture from the hair drawn through the hose 88 to the motor casing and discharged through the hose 19 back to the atmosphere. The temperature of the air must be kept within certain limits and in order to do so there has been provided a high temperature thermostat 92 and a low temperature thermostat |93 which are incorporated in the heating circuit and operate automatically to shut off flow of current to the heating unit when the temperature rises to a predetermined degree and then automatically close the circuit through the heating unit when the temperature has been reduced to a predetermined degree. This will be more fully explained.

The supply of chemical in the container is sunicient to adscrb moisture during a normal days use of the drier. Therefore, the drier will always be available for use and in proper working order. When the proprietor of a beauty parlor is ready to close the shop, the flow of current through solenoid 98 is shut off and current caused to ow through solenoid 97. The core 99 will then be shifted to the position shown in Figure 8 and the valve 9i will be closed and valve 90 opened. At the same time, valve 89 will be moved away from the valve seat about opening 87 and moved into engagement with the valve seat surrounding opening 98 to shut off communication between the chamber 69 and the neck 69. Air will then be drawn into the chamber 6I through the inlet neck 94 leading from one side thereof and this incoming air will travel through chamber 59 and passage 'i4 into the upper fan chamber from which it is expelled by the lower fan 83 and forced through the passages 'M and 19 into cham- `11 streaking me circuit and 'is' mated adjacent the heating :unit so that after the regeneration cycle Ihas been started, the thermostat will maintain a brokenor open position until it has cooled to a predetermined degree. The wire |23 extends from the thermostat |93 to an insulated terminal block |24- and a synchronous clock (not shown) is connected on one side to thepower wire |2 and on the'other side to the wire |25 so-that the clock will be in operation as long as the switch arm |9is in 'thevposition shown by full lines in the diagram.

This clock will have its dial marked olf so as to indicate the total operatingr time of the air drying cycle rather than to indicate the hours of the day. If a device has a predetermined operating capacity of, say for example, eight hours, this part of the dial will be termed and marked Operating Range. The remaining lpart of the dial will befused to indicate the regenerating cycle andso marked. The dial and clock mechanism can be so timed that 4when the air drying cycle has become exhausted the clock hand will then have reached the starting point Where it will remain during the reactivating or regenerating cycle, as during this cycle the circuit to the clock is broken. A lamp l|25 which is connected to the lead wires |23 and |2'1 constitutes a pilot light and indicates when current is flowing through these lead wires. The numeral |28 indicates a customers switch of conventional construction and is primarilyused to control the operation of the air drying device simultaneously with control of the temperature of the air delivered-to the helmet. This switch is termed a customers switch as it is provided with long leads or so located that it may be easily reached and adjusted by the customer to control the temperature. i

"'*Numeral |30 represents heater elements used t'o raise, to the desired comfortable degree, the dry air that is being supplied to the drying helmet. As before explained, the temperature of this air and the corresponding heat content is an important factor as a means for accelerating the rate of evaporation ofthe moisture while in the liquid phase; The heater elements are'connected so as to'provide threel heat ranges-hot, medium and low, according to the position of the switcharm of switch |28. This switch, as illustrated, is ofthe five-position type.

' When the customers switch is turned to on, the windings in the position 9B of the doubleacting solenoid are also on so that the core 99 assumes and holds the position shown in the diagram. When in this-position; the 'contact arm or plunger |9| which is attached tothe rod, moves into position of contact with contact points |3| and |32, so that current from `switch |28 is fed therethroughl to motor B2 and to the solenoid assembly 5|. This latter-solenoid'is of the single acting type and controls the opening and closing of. valves 52 and 53 which remain open at all times when the current is on for either the air drying or regenerating cycles.

When the arm ||9 of the main switch IIB is moved to the position indicated by dotted lines lead wire |20 is connected to lead wire |33 and the circuit is broken in the other side of the switch and the customers control switch |28, the helmet heaters |30 and all other circuits on the air drying phase of the wiring arrangement.

With the main switch I8, in this new position, current is supplied to a time clock and circuitbreaker mechanism, which breaks the circuit after a predetermined time, and at which time the reactivation of the chemical shall have beei'com`i pleted.

An indicator lamp |34 is connected in the proper manner to leads |25 and |33 to indicate that the circuit is now on for the reactivating phase. This lamp remains lighted as long as the current is on through the circuit breaker and the switch |8.

The high temperature thermostat |92, which is similar in construction to the low temperature thermostat |63, is connected in the circuit between the circuit-breaker mechanism |35 and a heater 28. The thermostat |92 is also located within the heating cavity adjacent the heater and breaks the circuit to the heaters at 450 degrees F., again making the circuit at 375 to 400 degrees or thereabouts. When the thermostat circuit to the heaters is open, the motor 82 continues operating so that air continues to ow through the chemical, thus quickly reducing the temperature to the making degree of the thermostat.

With the clock arrangement, the hour of start for reactivating can be predetermined and when that time arrives, the circuit will close and the reactivating cycle will start, continuing until the reactivation has been completed at a predetermined interval. In this manner, the reactivation can be done at night after a beauty shop or other establishment has closed.

The capacity of the air-drying device is sufficient toVY provide a full days operation in the average beauty shop so reactivation during business hours is not necessary.

The low temperature thermostat |93 is used to prevent the use of the device for drying hair so long as the temperature is too high for exposure to a patron who may be otherwise seriously burned by hot air from the heated chemical.

When the switch I8 closes the reactivating circuit current is then supplied to the windings of the solenoid 91 and the valves 89, 99 and 9| are then moved to the position, as shown in Figure 8. In this manner, air that is being used to reactivate the chemical, is flowing in the direction opposite to that when air is being dried, as shown in Figure 7. This change of direction of -air flow prevents moisture from remaining in the chemical adjacent the dry air outlet, in the event the reactivation cycle was not complete.

A diaphragm of suitable flexible material can be used by securing of same to the throat portion of the drying helmet and with the central portion being provided with an opening of suicient shape and size to permit the diaphragm to encircle and snugly fit the head of the patron, a closed circuit method of drying can be accomplished; or a helmet of suitable shape and size can be made to rest directly upon the head of the patron, and being provided with -a flexible rim of suitable material, the patrons head would form the seal so that air within the helmet and the cabinet would circulate therethrough by means of the flexible conduits interconnecting the combined equipments so that practically no room air would be introduced into the air-drying circuits. This is called the closed circuit method and this type helmet is anticipated in conjunction with the device herein described and addi-- tional modications and improvements in connection therewith will subsequently be led for patent applications.

It will be seen that the operation of the device is very simple, and the construction and arrangement of the three shells over the chemical cell atcasv v13 provide a lveryl eicient-means for dissipating excess heat in a man-ner that is most desirable as it does not cause the vair in the room to become heated. f

From-the foregoing description of the construction of our invention, Vthe operation thereof and the method of Vapplying the same to use, will be readily understood. It will be seen that we have provided a simple, inexpensive and efficient means for carrying out the ebjects of the invention and while we have particularly described the elements best adapted to perform the functions set forth, it is obvious that various changes in form, proportion and in the minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing. any of the principles of the invention.

What we claim is: y

1. In an apparatus of the character described, va series of containers', one 4within the other, means for vcreating a flow of air through the containers, a basket in the inner container, a heater in said basket, moisture absorbing means in said basket surrounding said heater,y means for directing flow of air through the containers and towards the basket andv in contact with the moisture adsorbing means for the removal of moisture from the air, and for directing the then dry air in contact with the heater and thereby heat the dry air and furnish a supply of heated dry air to the place of use, and means for reversing directional flow of air to first heat the air and then pass the heated air outwardly through the basket and the inner container in contact with the moisture adsorbing means in order to extract moisture that has been accumulated within the moisture adsorbing means.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, an outer casing containing therewithin two lesser containers, one within the other, and with air passages provided on each of the sides of each container, an air inlet and air outlet provided for each container, a basket located within the central portion of the innermost container, a heating means within said basket, a moisture adsorbing substance retained within the said basket and surrounding the heater, the series of containers mounted one within the other being interconnected to form a tortuous air path therebetween, a valve structure in said outer casing having end ports, an auxiliary valve structure communicating with one port of the first valve structure and having ports communicating with the casing and the heater and one end of the tortuous path, the auxiliary valve also having a throat communicating with the port having communication with the heater, a valve in the auxiliary valve structure for shutting oi flow of air through the casing when closed; a blower carried by the rst Valve structure for creating flow of air through the valve structures and the basket and series of containers; means for delivering heated dry air from the rst valve structure to the place Vof use, and a valve in the first valve structure for controlling directional ow of air.

3. In anapparatus of the character described, a casing, a basket in said casing having inlet and outlet ports, a heater in said basket, moisture adsorbing means in the basket, means for directing ow of air through the basket between the ports thereof for successive engagement with the moisture adsorbing means and the heater, a valve body in said casing having chambers therein provided with ports and having necks communicating with the ports of said basket,

means for controlling flow of air through-.the valve body, a second val-ve body in said casing having a port communicating with one vport of the first valve body and an outlet, a delivery tube leading from the outlet, interconnecting chambers and passages between the port and the outlet, one chamber having an auxiliary air inlet, a blower communicating with the second valve body for creating flow of air through the chambers and the passages thereof and through the first valve body and the basket, and means in the second valve body for controlling directional flow o-f the air and also control flow of air through the outlet of the second valve body and the auxiliary air inlet thereof.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, a plurality of shells disposed one within another with their walls spaced from each other to provide air passages between the shells, there being an outer shell, an inner shell and an inter-'mediate shell, the outer shell and the inner shell each having a port at its bottom and the vintermediate shell having a port at its top communicating with the outer shell, a basket in the inner shell spaced from walls thereof and having perforated inner and outer walls spaced from each other, the perforated outer wall establishing communication between the basket .and the inner shell and the perforated inner -wall defining a heating chamber surrounded by the basket and communicating therewith, said heating chamber having its lower end communicating with the intermediate shell, a heater in said heating chamber, a moisture absorbing chemical in said basket surrounding the heating chamber and the heater therein, means for creating a flow of air through the shells and the basket and the heating chamber having communication with the ports at lower ends of the outer shell and the inner shell, and means .for controlling directional flow of the air.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a lplurality of shells disposed one within another with their walls spaced from each other to provide air passages between the shells, there being an outer shell, an inner shell and an intermediate shell, the outer shell and the inner shell each having a port at its bottom and the intermediate shell having a port at its top communicating with the outer shell, a basket in the inner shell spaced from walls thereof and having perforated inner and outer walls spaced from each other, the perforated outer wall establishing communication between the basket and the inner shell and the perforated inner wall deiining a heating chamber surrounded by the basket and communicating therewith, said heating chamber having its lower end communicating with the intermediate shell, a heater in said heating chamber, a moisture-absorbing chemical in said basket surrounding the heating chamber and the heater therein, a valve casing having a chamber provided with a port and a neck communicating with the port at the lower end of the inner shell, said valve casing having a second port and a neck communicating with the port at the lower end of the outer shell, a valve in said valve casing for controlling ow of air through its chamber and neck, a blower having a casing formed with a port and with an impeller-chamber and passageways leading therefrom and communicating with the port of the chamber of the valve casing, one passageway communicating with the port of the blower casing and the other with an outlet adapted to have a conduit secured thereto, and a Valve inthe blower casing for controlling ow of air through its passageways and through its port and outlet and shiitable to control directional ow of air through the valve casing and through the shells and the basket and heating chamber.

6. In an apparatus oi the character described. a plurality of shells disposed one within another with their walls spaced from each other to provide air passages between the shells, there being an outer shell, an inner shell and an intermediate shell, the outer shell and the inner shell each having a port at its bottom and the intermediate shell having a port at its top communicating with the outer shell, a basket in the inner shell spaced from walls thereof and having perforated inner and outer walls spaced from each other, the perforated outer wall establishing communication between the basket and the inner shell and the perforated inner wall`dening a heating chamber surrounded by the Ybasket and communicating therewith, said heating chamber having its lower end communicating with the intermediate shell, a heater in said heating chamber, a moisture-absorbing chemical in said basket surrounding the heating chamber and the heater therein, a valve casing communicating with the ports at lower ends of the outer shell and the inner shell, a

16 valve in said valve casing controlling flow of air through the same, a blower having a casing formed with intercommunicating passages communicating with the valve casing and an outlet neck leading from one or" its passages, and a Valve in the blower casing for controlling ow ofair through its passages and through its outlet and directional flow of air through the valve casing and the shells.

ROBERT C. BELGAU. AWARUA P. WARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are o1" record in the le of this patent:

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